LENGTHY SITTING

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27572, 14 December 1950, Page 6

LENGTHY SITTING

General Wage Order Hearing

FIRST WITNESSES PA WELLINGTON, Dec. 13. Mr Justice Tyndall gave the parties to the general wage hearing in the Arbitration Court a hint today that the hearing might be a long one. The Government statistician, Mr G. E. F. Wood, called as a witness by Mr F. P. Walsh, the advocate for the Federation of Labour, had been asked to prepare several sets of figures. - Mr Wood commented: “You are piling up a lot of work between now and Christmas.” “ Between now and Christmas? ’’ His Honor said. “ Between now and Easter. I am afraid this case starting now is going to result in a lot of inconvenience for a lot of people, but still it has got to go on.” His Honor had earlier stated that except for the usual adjournments, the case would continue till completion. Mr S. H. B. Symons, the assistant general secretary of the New Zealand Public Service Association gave evidence that the weekly food costs for a man, his wife, and three children had increased from £4 13s lOd to £5 5s 6d, or by 12.4 per cent, between April and November, 1950. In the same time, the annual cost of man’s clothing had increased from £42 2s 9d to £45 12s 7d. and of clothing for a woman and three children from £9l 2s 6d to £9B 5s lOd. This meant that the weekly cost of food and clothing for a family of five had increased in 7 months from £7 5s Id to £8 0s lid. The second witness for the Federation of Labour, Mr G. E. F. Wood, the Government statistician, was in the witness box when the court adjourned till tomorrow morning.